Traffic alert: Vehicle fire along southbound Bend Parkway clogs evening commute for many

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Vehicle fires appear to ramp up in the summertime, and another one on the Bend Parkway led to a southbound traffic jam into town as the Thursday evening commute began.

Bend Fire Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki said crews called to the scene around 4:15 p.m. found an older sedan burning along the southbound parkway shoulder, just before the Revere Avenue exit.

"Our crews were there and cleared within 20 minutes," Derlacki told KTVZ News. All emergency vehicles were released before 5 p.m., but it can take a while for those backups to clear.

ODOT was advising on its TripCheck map of the vehicle fire affecting one southbound lane and the shoulder. They advised motorists to "slow or move over for worker safety."

About 24 hours earlier, a pickup fire put up black smoke on Highway 97 south of Deschutes Junction.